NEXT YEAR will be 2026 — another big anniversary for the wider trade union and labour movement in Britain.

It is 100 years since our last general strike — a general strike etched into the collective memory of trade unionists across the country. It is a strong tradition of the movement to celebrate, understand, explore and learn from our history.

That is why the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), hot off the heels of celebrating our own 125th anniversary, has been working behind the scenes with 11 museums, libraries and archives to co-ordinate our general strike celebrations.

In partnership with the trade union and wider labour movement, our project aims to develop an interactive map of sites for public visits throughout 2026. This may include details of a specific exhibition, an educational event, or a unique collection to explore — all part of our rich history of the 1926 general strike.

Accompanying the interactive website, we plan to distribute a printed passport, where those participating can collect a stamp from each site they visit. This will provide discounts on related merchandise and encourage the public to visit as many sites as possible throughout the year.

Our national partnership is still in its infancy but the ideas behind it are simple. We are not building or launching an umbrella organisation, but instead are focused on amplifying, supporting and promoting the work that is already being undertaken by a wide range of historical organisations.

We want to bring together all those marking the centenary of the general strike and, through this collaborative partnership, pool our resources and expertise to ensure that the lessons of the strike are understood and that the movement can learn and grow going forward.

We have written to all trade unions, trades councils and the wider GFTU networks to invite them to be part of this project and seek their support to make our partnership a success.

We will be producing some commemorative merchandise to mark the anniversary and help support our fundraising efforts, and look forward to unveiling this soon.

This project is supported by Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, Campaign for Trade Union Freedom, General Federation of Trade Unions, National Coal Mining Museum for England, People’s History Museum, Radical Tea Towel Company, Society for the Study of Labour History, Strike Map, TUC Library Collections — London Metropolitan University, Working Class History, Working Class Movement Library.

If you represent a museum, library or archive (or another organisation doing something to mark the general strike) and you want to be involved, email us via campaigns@gftu.org.uk.

If you want to support this project, please consider donating via www.bit.ly/GeneralStrike100.